The University of Dayton has named its award winners for the 2016-17 basketball season.  The five Flyer seniors – four-year players Kyle Davis, Kendall Pollard and Scoochie Smith, transfer Charles Cooke and walk-on Jeremiah Bonsu -- were named winners of the White-Allen Most Valuable Player Award.   As a class, the seniors created a historical legacy that will that future Dayton basketball teams will be challenged to surpass.

UD's senior class is the first in school history to reach the NCAA tournament all four years of their career.  They won consecutive conference championships (2016 Atlantic 10 co-regular season championship, 2017 outright Atlantic 10 regular season championship) and won a school-record 102 games in their careers.

The White-Allen Most Valuable Player Trophy is sponsored by Tim White and White-Allen Auto Group, Inc.  The award is selected by members of the team. The White-Allen Trophy has been awarded annually since 1953.  White-Allen now sponsors the MVP award for UD's men's and women's basketball, football and volleyball teams. 

Scoochie Smith was the winner of the Alex Schoen Memorial Free Throw Trophy as UD's top free throw shooter.  The Flyer point guard made 98 of 127 free throws (77.2%).  The Bronx native was named First Team All-Atlantic 10.  He was third on the team in scoring (13.8 points a game, and first in assists (4.5 per game), steals (51) and 3-pt. FG's (54).  He played in a school-record 138 consecutive games in his career.  The Schoen Trophy is named in honor of Alex Schoen, Sr., the captain of UD's first varsity basketball team in 1903-04. Awarded since 1950, it is sponsored by Alex Schoen, Jr.  It goes to the UD player with the highest FT% with a minimum of 50 free throws attempted.

As the team's top rebounder, Charles Cooke won the "Shorty" Sharpenter Memorial Rebounding Trophy.  The Trenton, N.J. native averaged 5.1 rebounds a game.  He also led the Flyers in scoring (15.9) and was named Second Team All-Atlantic 10.  The Sharpenter Award is named for Hall of Famer Ned "Shorty" Sharpenter, and has been sponsored by his family since its inception in 1979. 

Chicago native Kyle Davis was named the winner of the Best Defender Award for the third time in his career, making him just third three-time winner in school history.  He joins Edwin Young and London Warren as three-time winners in the 12-year history of the award.  .  Davis was named to the A-10 All-Defensive Team, and was also named the Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year.

Kyle Davis and fellow Chicagoan Josh Cunningham were named the co-winners of the Dr. George Rau Spirit Award, which is given annually to the player (or players) who display true team spirit, on and off the court.  While Davis was a fiery and emotional on-court leader, Cunningham battled back from a horrific ankle injury and subsequent surgery two play in the last nine games of the season.  Davis and Cunningham were high school teammates at Morgan Park High School in Chicago, where they were on state championship teams.  Perhaps that is where they cultivated their positive attitude and "no challenge too great" approach to the game.  The Harry O'Rourke Insurance Agency sponsors the Rau Award, which was first presented after the long-time Flyer team physician's death in 1972.

Xeyrius Williams was named the Chris Daniels Memorial Most Improved Player.  Williams could have won it for his improvement from his freshman to his sophomore seasons, but also from the beginning of the 2016-17 campaign to the end.  He averaged 2.1 points and 1.7 rebounds last season, but bumped it up to 8.2 and 4.6.  He also raised his field goal, 3-pt. FG and free throw percentages (from .333 to .434 from beyond the arc).  Williams also went from a tentative player early in the season to a confident player whose back-to-back three-pointers won the Flyers a big game on the road at Rhode Island.  The injury to Cunningham required that someone step up, and Williams was that player.  The Daniels Award is presented in memory of Flyer center Chris Daniels.  Originated in 1994-95 as the most improved player award, this award was renamed for Daniels following his death in 1996. 

Junior guard Darrell Davis was presented with the John L. Macbeth Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award.   The Macbeth Scholar-Athlete Award is presented in memory of Dayton businessman John L. Macbeth, and is sponsored by Mrs. John L. Macbeth and family.  It has been awarded since 1959. 

Trey Landers was presented the Thomas M. Luppe Award, which is awarded to the first-year player on the team who best demonstrates the courage, desire and integrity of former Flyer freshman Tom Luppe.  The Luppe Award honors Thomas M. Luppe, who died in 1963 while playing in a UD freshman game. 

Dayton was 24-8 overall, and Atlantic 10 Conference regular season champions with a 15-3 league record.  The Flyers reached the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive year and set a UD Arena attendance record, averaging 13,108 fans per game.
 
2016-17 UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON MEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS

WHITE-ALLEN MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

CLASS OF 2017

ALEX SCHOEN FREE THROW PERCENTAGE

SCOOCHIE SMITH

JOHN L. MACBETH SCHOLAR-ATHLETE

DARRELL DAVIS

DR. GEORGE RAU SPIRIT AWARD

KYLE DAVIS & JOSH CUNNINGHAM

"SHORTY" SHARPENTER TOP REBOUNDER

CHARLES COOKE

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

KYLE DAVIS

CHRIS DANIELS MEMORIAL AWARD

XEYRIUS WILLIAMS

THOMAS M. LUPPE MEMORIAL AWARD

TREY LANDERS